I seek motivated individuals for 2 graduate projects investigating the influence of moisture availability on forest canopy structure and stand dynamics in Canada’s western interior. Water availability can have a strong bearing on the structure, biomass, and carbon balance of forests in this region. The goal of this research is to better understand how increasing aridity under climate change may affect the long-term persistence of forest cover near the prairie-forest ecotone in western Canada.
Project 1: Forest canopy structure across a moisture-limited landscape This project can be undertaken at either the MSc or PhD level. The successful candidate will survey forest canopies using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and use the resulting imagery, together with aerial LiDAR and ground plot data, to quantify forest structure and biomass across a topographic gradient in soil moisture. He or she will then develop allometric models to assess how the size and form of individual trees, as well as the overall biomass and structure of forest stands, vary with water availability. Field work will be conducted in Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, located near the southern end of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Project 2: Modelling regional forest dynamics under climate change This project will be at the PhD level. The successful candidate will use data on growth-climate and mortality-climate relationships to construct individual-based models of stand dynamics in western boreal forests. He or she will develop demographic models that capture the effects of environmental conditions and competition on tree vital rates, and use these to predict how forest structure and composition will change under increasing aridity. In addition to local field data, he or she will use networks of forest inventory plots from across western Canada to model variation in regional-scale forest dynamics in a changing climate. Both positions will start in January 2018, and will be hosted at the Department of Biology at the University of Regina (Saskatchewan, Canada) working under the supervision of Dr. Mark Vanderwel (http://vanderwelforestlab.weebly.com). Applicants should have a BSc, a strong academic record in biology or a related field, and good quantitative skills. Candidates with a background in geography, math, or computer science with interests in ecology are also encouraged to apply. Candidates applying at the PhD level should possess a relevant Masters degree and good evidence of research potential (publications and/or conference presentations). To apply, please send a cover letter describing research interests, a CV, unofficial academic transcripts, and contact information for 2 references by e-mail to mark.vander...@uregina.ca. Review of applications will begin on Sept 11 and will continue until the position is filled.
